An empirical lesson in “High Barriers to Entry,” discovered while trying to get into and out of the Ritz Carlton in Truckee California...
The Ritz is in Northstar Village, and I figured we could take the Amtrak train, and then take a hotel shuttle. The hotel swore there would be a shuttle; I called them 4 times; once about 10 minutes before arriving, sort of expecting them to offer to pick us up. (PS The scenery on the Amtrak snow train from Sacramento to Truckee is simply sublime. Truly a Winter wonderland.)
But the Ritz is up up up the mountain from Northstar. We jumped on a local TART bus with a Northstar sign. Riders included a raunchy bachelorette party (the evolution of girls gone wild), some avid snow-goers (they know how to ski), and a casino-bound man with a bottle of booze (he shared it with the bachelorettes).
We got dropped off in Northstar village. SO.... Success? No. Try finding the Ritz. Try finding the gondola to the Ritz! Try getting to the gondola to the Ritz with your luggage!
Perhaps it was covered by the snow? We wandered around and took a bunch of elevators without signage. I managed not to cry. So did my kid. Eventually we got to the next level, like a video game of a maze.
We got on that gondola while it was moving. With four pieces of luggage. That was a new form of transit for this Florida native. And of course the elevator from the gondola to the hotel lobby wasn’t working, so an employee walked us through a long, rear hallway. Gotta love rolling luggage, but on a mile of carpet, it's an unwanted bicep workout.
Then the vacation! And it was as dreamy as expected! The Ritz does it right! We took our ski lessons and we laughed about how we had tried to find the hotel when we arrived, as we enjoyed our Mulled wine (not “Mold” wine), and new mittens tossed aside in front of our personal fireplace. Luxury alors!
When it was time to leave, we had to catch the Amtrak Thruway bus because our train was delayed and a winter storm was approaching. But the bus was departing at 8:30 am, before the Ritz had any drivers available, and before the gondola started running. I talked to Guest services umpteen times and I called a local car service.
No drivers, no Ubers. Was the Front Desk helpful? Well, let’s just say they were not seasoned project managers.
We were trapped at the Ritz. I was about to surrender. So sad. Down to the last moments to make our bus, I made my way to the valets and gently (though desperately) shouted out, “Is anyone going to the Truckee Amtrak Station??!!” And lo and behold, I managed to get a car to the Amtrak station so we could catch the bus. The valets made it happen. Thank you dudes!